Illos by Martin Davies, Webdiary's artist for years, through thick and thin. [1]

Hello. Queensland swung hardest. My State. A long time ago I lived in Dawson [2], next door to the National Party MP, Mr Ray Braithwaite. I rode my horse on journeys with Ray's son. It's gone Labor, with an incredible swing of more than 13 percent!

Queenslanders believe in a fair go. Yep, my much maligned state said no to Howard, and yes to something fairer.

Kerry Tucker [3] got 22% of the vote in the ACT. My town, the town I refugeed to from Queensland. She got the highest vote ever for a Greens Senate candidate. She didn't win the seat, but she won, big time. One of the special people I've met in my life. An honour to know you, Kerrie.

I've been off the air for a while - went to bed at 5am on Sunday morning with the roar of Howard's loss and Maxine's win in my ears (culture war won) and woke up this morning - gee I must have been tired. A new Australia. What to do, where to be, now?

I've been chatting to friends for hours, talking that through.

Webdiarists, thanks to you all for great election coverage - different, exciting, challenging, real. Special thanks to David Roffey, Fiona Reynolds, Richard Tonkin, PF Journey, David Davis, Craig Rowley, my wonderful brother Hamish, and many many more. I'm so glad I came back. Life is strange, and good. Australia is gonna help the world get through. Because we can. Because we must.

 I love Australia. Always have, always will.

What next? Who knows. It's up to us.

Thank you, Webdiarists. Love ya.

[Illustrations by Martin Davies]